“As long as Russia continues its war against Ukraine, it is unacceptable to hold international competitions on its territory,” writes Matviy Bidny.
He writes that Ukraine will appeal the decision to both the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The announcement came on Sunday during the IWF’s ongoing congress in China. Weightlifting thus became the first Olympic sport to award Russia a world championship since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
